I note you are seeking the views of your readers on the possibility of full pedestrianisation of Braintree High Street.

As might be appreciated, this is not a straightforward matter.

Several of the premises in the High Street do not have rear access and therefore rely on their front access for the delivery and collection of goods.

Their right to continue to service their premises cannot be simply removed in order to bring about pedestrianisation and it is highly unlikely they would be willing to voluntarily give up those rights.

Therefore, the views of the public are of fairly academic interest unless of course the occupiers and owners of those premises see the pedestrianisation as a benefit.

The other stumbling block when this issue was raised many years ago was the insistence of the bus companies their services continued through the High Street.

It cannot be contested the current state of the High Street and Great Square should not be allowed to continue for much longer.

When the current scheme was laid out it was not appreciated that having a narrow roadway would mean that every bus and lorry would be forced into using an identical route, which has led to the severe deformation of the surface that can be seen now.

One wonders whether it would be better and safer to remove all attempts to separate vehicles and pedestrians by having a single form of paving throughout.

The mere fact pedestrians are free to roam over the whole area would require traffic to proceed slowly and with great care. A 5mph speed limit could also be applied to reinforce the need for caution.

Finally, it should be appreciated at the moment there is a ban on cars using the High Street, but as premises have a right to have deliveries to and collections from their front doors it is somewhat difficult to enforce that ban.

By Brian Cutmore of The Avenue, Braintree.